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school on buying a vehicle


natedogg624
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i'm purchasing a newer used truck soon, within the week probably. I want to be able to drive off in my new truck having spent the least amount as possible is the goal.

what i've already done -

-- been to the dealer, met with a salesman

-- talked trucks, did not talk money except for he asked if i was financing or trading in (no to either)

-- decided on a truck that I want (2008 Ford F150 XLT 4x4), salesman knows this. priced at 22xxx sticker. I've asked if there are any incentives/rebates etc, already down to 21xxx without me really trying

-- i've seen this truck on the lot for about 2 weeks now prior to me stepping foot onto the lot

I've got my loan set through my credit union, so I will not be financing through the dealer. I think my personal price point I'd like to see is somewhere real close to the 20k final cost (including title/registration/bs stuff) mark. I've read about dealer invoice and markup and what not, but I have no clue in the dealer world. I've always purchased privately, this will be my first experience with a dealer.

I've got a free weekend (not buying this weekend) and I was thinking of going to the other Ford dealers to get an idea of what they would do price wise. I like this salesman (of course that's their job...) and would like to give him my sale but I also want a price i like.

so... wise people of OR - what did i already do wrong, what do i do from here to get close to that 20k mark?

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Ok I have been selling cars for 15 years I know a little about this. First of all the average age for a used car on the lot is right around 90 days. With that being said if the truck has only been on the lot for two weeks they probably do not want to " give it away" since it is not depressed mechandise. In my experience pre-owned cars when they are fresh say under 30 days old are marked up about 2500 to 3,000. After that the price gets adjusted acording to age they do get to a point when they are "give aways" mini-deals. I think if it is really a 2 or 3 week old unit 2 thousand off is pretty strong at least at my dealership. Be sure to check the carfax as well. Also as far as going to other dealerships on a used car its hard to compare since there are no two pre-owned cars that are the same. If you really like the truck and the salesman try and work out a deal or you may miss out on it all together. Make sure they are not selling it as-is. Also the fees on top of the selling price are $250 doc fee, $33.50 for title and reg and of course tax. Good luck. And to get to the 20,000 mark see if he will bring in a offer of like 19500 and go from there

Edited by twisted12
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Used truck and Credit union financing? Buy from a private owner.

Better price (no overhead to pay for) and you get to see how well he takes care of his shit. Plus you get to know the history of the truck. Dealers always get rid of all the maintenance paperwork that has original owners info on it.

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You gotta' know when to hold 'em.. and know when to fold 'em.. know when to walk away...

Don't go into the dealership expecting to leave with a truck. Don't be your own worst enemy. Be willing to walk away completely if you don't get the deal you want. Worst case? You don't buy a truck that day. There are plenty of 2008 Ford yada yada yadas out there.

20k out the door isn't a bad start' date=' but I think you can do better. Is this the first dealership you visited? You should go to some more, just to get a reference.[/quote']

20 out the door will not happen just my 2 cents. If he is at 21000 you would have to get another $2,648 dollars off and he came down $1000 already there is way to much competion out there for that kind of mark up

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Used truck and Credit union financing? Buy from a private owner.

Better price (no overhead to pay for) and you get to see how well he takes care of his shit. Plus you get to know the history of the truck. Dealers always get rid of all the maintenance paperwork that has original owners info on it.

We throw out the records because of personal information. As far as maintenence records you can get that on carfax as long as it was serviced at the dealership. And as far as price cheap cars are nice to buy from a private buyer. People selling more expensive vehicle are trying to get out from under a loan alot of times and cant trade them in because they are buried in them. So buying from a private seller isnt always the best route

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I will buy a 2008 Ford yada yada yada' date=' tomorrow, for $18k and you'll shit bricks.[/quote']

I wouldnt shit bricks i can buy a 2008 for $5,000 but there are so many variables miles, condition, maintenence, owners, accidents, salvage title, ect ect ect

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We throw out the records because of personal information. As far as maintenence records you can get that on carfax as long as it was serviced at the dealership. And as far as price cheap cars are nice to buy from a private buyer. People selling more expensive vehicle are trying to get out from under a loan alot of times and cant trade them in because they are buried in them. So buying from a private seller isnt always the best route

that didn't make sense, wouldn't they be desperate to get out and accept an offer? i'm only leaning towards a dealer because i don't want to deal with the hassle of an unexpected maintenance issue that the seller hid from me.

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that didn't make sense, wouldn't they be desperate to get out and accept an offer? i'm only leaning towards a dealer because i don't want to deal with the hassle of an unexpected maintenance issue that the seller hid from me.

Sorry nate guess I dont understand what you are saying? What doesnt make sense,unless you are talking about the age of the vehicle on the lot. No they are not desperate to give away a car. I mean think of it this way. You go out as a dealer and spend 20,000 on a truck to make 1,000 dollars seems like it isnt even worth it and as a used car manager you wont be around long. The owner likes a higher gross average then that. And even though the dealer is making a few bucks they are buying at wholesale or swiped the trade at a good price. But as for the vehicles age they do get very aggressive to sell them as they get older. We are there to make some money just like the guy selling them out of his driveway

Edited by twisted12
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you said it's nice to buy from a private seller, then you said private sale isn't always the best route.

ok got ya I said when looking for a cheap car like $8000 and under a private seller is a good route especially under 5k. But when lookin at bigger ticket items a dealer is a good route because alot of times a private seller has a loan on the vehicle and is most likely buried in it. So he is also trying to get retail value. They probrably went to the dealer to try and trade it in to find out they were upside down in it. Not always but alot of times. I would have to believe the private seller is trying to make a buck to. I do when i sell something

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We throw out the records because of personal information. As far as maintenence records you can get that on carfax as long as it was serviced at the dealership. And as far as price cheap cars are nice to buy from a private buyer. People selling more expensive vehicle are trying to get out from under a loan alot of times and cant trade them in because they are buried in them. So buying from a private seller isnt always the best route

If everyone had all their maintenance done at the dealership, there wouldn't be any nifty lubes, bubby auto shops etc.

Carfax ain't got shit on actually meeting the seller, seeing how he cares for his other property, how clean he is, etc. and having all his records. It is good for finding out if the vehicle has ever been damaged.

I don't care much for auction cars that someone couldnt afford to pay for, let alone maintain or ones that have issues and were therefore traded in.

Edited by max power
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Just last week I bought a used 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 crew cab with 20k miles on it (exec demo). I went into the dealership and told them I had $25k no more. I think they started with the truck at 28,9xx + fees. I knew it had been there for the better part of a month. When it was all said and done over a three day period of going to different dealerships and pitting them against each other I walked away with the truck. The salesman wasn't the happiest guy in the world but at the end of the day he sold a vehicle.

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  • 3 weeks later...

so a little update - i was pretty sure i was getting a truck so i went to the dealer test drove an f150 and instead bought a ford fusion :rolleyes:

2010 Ford Fusion SEL V6 3.0. Baller white. Sport ed. wheels. Microsoft Sync (I did not realize how sweet this feature is). Sony 12 speaker audio system. Remote start. Leather heated seats. Hipster cool LED adjustable glow throughout the cabin. 6spd auto-manual. 21k miles. I'm sure there's more i'm forgetting but i'm pretty stoked about it. I'll get pics up when it gets delivered this week.

just did some logical thinking and i dont really need a big v8 truck for my every other weekend towing ventures. i'll get a small trailer from Harbor Freight and that'll be enough to handle my track bike and stuff.

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